Soy... Just say No!

Days like today I want to crawl back into bed and sleep the sickness away. 

Today is one of those bad days... 

For the last 15 years I asked EVERY doctor I went to why my glands would swell and become extremely sore. I feel like I have a bouncy ball permanently taking up residence in my throat. Doctors never seemed concerned about it, but it worried me. Since I have changed my eating to the Anti-Inflammatory diet, the gland swelling has only happened one other time and that was when I tested chocolate. 

The funny thing with food testing is that some foods will instantly bring on a reaction, and others will slowly manifest and then hang around for a lonnnng time. 

I tested Soy last sunday with a single serving size of Edamame in the evening. One little serving and all week I have been sick. I am exhausted, my back aches, my glands are swollen and sore. I have gained 5 pounds of water weight due to inflammation. I just don't feel good. I was fine Monday Morning but then later in the afternoon it hit, and hasn't gone away since. It always gives me a sense of false hope when the reaction is delayed. 

"Yeah, another food I can eat... BAM the sickness hits ! Not so fast Holly."

Soy is in Everything. You must read the label on everything  you are going to be putting into your body! 

I have even found soy in chewing gum! What? Really? Is Soy really necessary?
After this discovery it led me to question what else has soy in it that I do not know about? 

I stumbled upon this blogpost that spelled everything out concerning Soy. 

Choosing Voluntary Simplicity: Living with a Soy Allergy

When you go to that post, the list of foods that have soy in them is astounding. 
READ the Food Labels because you never know what ingredients they used to make up that food. 

Most Cooking sprays have soy in them. To solve that problem I bought a Misto. 

I LOVE my Misto. 

Since I am not able to use any oil other than Olive or coconut oil, it was really hard to find a cooking spray that didn't contain a bunch of additives. The Misto solves that problem. You just put your Olive Oil in, pump it up, and spray. 

Here is a link to their awesome cheese-ball commercial if you still aren't convinced that you need one. 

Hopefully after I get off work, I can find a little nap time to rest. Even after diagnosis I still have bad days. However, they are fewer and farther between than they ever were before. I used to feel like this ALL the time. I am so grateful though, that through food testing, I know that Soy is something that I react negatively to. I can do my best to avoid it and feel generally healthy and good the rest of my life. 

Keep fighting the good fight. Hang in there. 

There is always HOPE. 

"So What can you Eat?"

That is always the question people ask me when I give them the laundry list of things that I cannot have. Haha With RedRiver they put you on the basic Anti-inflammatory diet and then you test certain foods to see if your body reacts to the food at all. Much like the AIP diet, only they have developed this diet themselves and have really helped me navigate it. I am part of a Hashimoto's Support group and I read the frustration and confusion that so many people are suffering from. There is hope. I am so grateful that they are educating me and know what is going on in my body and how to manage the flair ups. 

I have created a spreadsheet so I can keep track of my foods while I test. 

Foods That are APPROVED: * Quinoa * Lean Grass fed Beef * Buckwheat * Steel Cut Oats * Sweet Potato  * Pork * Fresh Fruits * Amaranth * Fresh Vegetables * Peanuts * Sea Salt *Hard Cheeses * Peas (split, fresh, & snap) * Popcorn * Garbanzo beans * Sweet Corn * Fish excluding Shell fish * 100% Cacao * Chicken  * Yogurt (Greek)  * Turkey * Lamb * Olive Oil * Coconut Oil * Flaxseed Oil * Unsweetened Almond Milk * Raw Cashews * Raw Almonds * Raw Macadamia Nuts * Raw Pecans * Raw Walnuts * Herbal Tea Foods to Avoid: * Dairy: Cow's milk * Green Beans * Sausage * Kidney Beans * Shellfish * Pinto Beans * Butter * Black Beans * Margarine * Yellow Wax Beans * Shortening * Cantaloupe * Eggs * Carrots * Gluten * Cherries * Tomatoes * Cranberries * Dehydrated Fruit * Goats Milk * Rice * Pineapple * Dent Corn * Pumpkin * Potatoes (white, red, yellow) * Sunflower * Soda * Wheat * Fruit Juices * Baker's Yeast * Iodized (Table) Salt * Brewer's Yeast * Sugar, cane * Tapioca * Natural sweeteners * Rhodiola * Agave & Honey * Cocoa Powder * Artificial Sweeteners * Soy or products with Soy * Soy Milk or Tofu * Pork * Canned Meat * Cold cuts * Bacon * Hot Dogs KEY Red= 3 on Immuno Bloodprint Orange= 2 on Immuno Bloodprint Purple= 1 on Immuno Bloodprint Dark Blue= In Moderation Green= Non-Reactive on Immuno BP Pink= Tested. Here is the Food Testing Table: Date Food  Result 2/18,19 Steak Approved 2/21,22 Tomato Avoid 2/26,27 Egg Avoid 3/19,20 Steel Cut Oats Approved 3/22,23 Pork Approved 3/24,25 Tapioca Avoid 3/28,29 Brown Rice Approved 4/1,2 Amaranth Approved 4/3,4 Peanuts Approved 4/13,14 Stevia Avoid 4/15,16 Monk Fruit in the Raw Approved 5/4,5 Cheese Approved 5/6,7 Dent Corn (Tortilla) Avoid 5/10,11 Sweet Corn Approved 5/13,14 Yogurt Approved 5/ 15,16 Chocolate 100% Approved 5/ 18,19 Shrimp Avoid 5/ 21,22 Cocoa Powder Avoid 5/25,26 Popcorn Approved 6/1 Soy (edamame)  Avoid There you go! That is a lot of information I know. I had to write it down otherwise I wouldn't have been able to keep track of everything. This is my personalized diet based on my body and how it reacts to food. Everyone is different and they will react differently to these same foods. Take control of your diet though, it has made all the difference in the world for me. I feel so much better and have about 25 good days a month now. With exception to when I am testing those foods that have the big red AVOID next to them.

Food...

One of the first things Dr. Stadler had me do was change my eating habits. 

• Eat a vegetable and protein with each meal
• NO more Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Iodized Salt, Potatoes, Corn, Tomatoes, Sugars except those from fruit and chocolate. Thank goodness I already stayed away from Soda, alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. 
• Drink 13 cups of water a day. (My potty breaks definitely increased at first) 

I found it quite easy to make the changes. I was more than ready to feel GOOD. I was sick of being sick and tired all the time. 

Before getting the Anti-inflammatory Diet protocol I knew that I was going to have to be Gluten Free. A week before my blood tests, I went Gluten free. Before testing for my food panels, I decided to eat gluten again just so I could really see what it was doing to my body. I went to Zupa's after my Doc appointment and ate the amazingly delicious bread they give with a meal. Within a half hour my glands became swollen and sore. My back hurt, I got a headache and I was sick to my stomach. That was enough to convince me not to eat it 

EVER AGAIN! 

Finding foods that I can eat can be VERY challenging at times, especially when I am away from home. Going out to eat... forget about it. Eating out comes at the cost of getting sick and swollen the next day. Even if the staff is super careful. Not to mention the fact that it takes an hour on the phone to find out what is in their food and then hassle and headache with the waiters. I hate to make a fuss, but if I don't I will get sick.